Persona 5 Arena, known in Japan as Persona 5: The Ultimate Distortion of Chaos (Japanese: ペルソナ5:カオスの究極の歪み, Persona 5: Kaosu no Kyūkyoku no Yugami), is a PlayStation 4 1-on-1 fighting game and the sequel to Persona 5 and the successor to Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Much like the Persona 4 Arena duology, Persona 5 Arena sees the cast of Persona 5 interacting with their counterparts from previous titles (primarily Persona 4), as well as several brand new ones. The game was developed by Existence Software and Arc System Works and published by Atlus for the PlayStation 4; Katsura Hashino, the director of both Persona 4 and Persona 5, oversaw all work on the title.

Contents

Story

The player can experience the same story from the perspectives of the Phantom Thieves (P5 Story) and the Investigation Team (P4 Story), with the protagonists of both games - Yu Narukami and Akira Kurusu / Joker, respectively - being the primary focus of each story.

Overview

A year after the events of Persona 5, mental shutdowns begin occurring once more; though this time throughout the entirety of Japan. Both the Phantom Thieves and the Investigation Team (the latter under the order of SEES) act independently from one another, attempting to determine their cause, eventually learning of a realm known as Vestige, which is located on a similar plane to the Velvet Room, and is accessible through both the Metaverse Nav and the Midnight Channel; the latter of which also returned around the same time of the mental shutdowns. In this realm of Vestige, both teams, believing the other to be the cause of the mental shutdowns, fight each other in a tournament unbound by time or space, and hosted by the Shadow of a specific individual.

P5 Story

P4 Story

Gameplay

The game is a traditional one-on-one fighting game, with two characters being placed on separate ends of a flat stage. Fighters can attack each other by performing different attacks, which can be strung into combos by utilizing certain specific combinations of button presses and joystick rotations. As with Persona 4 Arena, some such combos see the fighter summoning their Persona (should they have one), which will perform an attack with different elemental properties; though each character is only capable of summoning their Persona a certain number of times (which can be replenished).

Characters

Playable Characters

The playable cast of characters primarily contains characters that are members of Persona 5's Phantom Thieves and Persona 4's Investigation Team. However, the characters that appear in the game are not limited to only these two groups. Additionally, as a considerable amount of time has passed since the events of Persona 4, the members of the Investigation Team have grown older.

Character

Arcana

Description

Akira KurusuJoker

Fool

Akira Kurusu (来栖 暁), or Joker, is the Trickster and the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Holding the power of the Wild Card, Akira is capable of summoning a variety of different Personae. Though Akira lives in a suburban town, he returns to Tokyo to live with Sojiro Sakura during his summer vacation; and this serves as a cataclysm to the events of the game.

In battle, Akira uses his ultimate Persona Satanael, which takes a much smaller appearance than in the final battle of Persona 5. Satanael has a variety of different elemental spells, including Maeigaon, Megidolaon, and Cosmic Flare (which are of the Curse, Almighty, and Nuclear elements, respectively). His insta-kill attack is Sinful Shell, the same attack Satanael uses to defeat Yaldabaoth.

Ryuji SakamotoSkull

Chariot

Ann TakamakiPanther

Lovers

MorganaMona

Magician

Yusuke KitagawaFox

Emperor

Makoto NiijimaQueen

Priestess

Haru OkumuraNoir

Empress

Futaba SakuraOracle

Hermit

Caroline

Strength

Caroline (カロリーヌ) is one of the twin wardens that inhabit Akira's Velvet Room; though in actuality she is one-half of a fragmented Lavenza. Though Caroline is louder and shows more personality than her sister does, she is more loyal to the requests of her "master"- even willing to attack the Trickster should her master order her to. While Caroline and Justine are capable of entering Vestige separately, they can not enter as Lavenza; doing so separates them until they can be re-fused within the Velvet Room.

While Caroline is a Persona user, she is also capable of using skills without having to summon one. In battle, Caroline can call upon Shiva; a reference to how Shiva can fuse with Parvati (whom Justine wields) to form Ardha (which both twins can call upon in Persona 5). Shiva uses a variety of Psi-based attacks, though can also use Maziodyne; Caroline's stun baton also has an electric current running through it that compliments the usage of this skill.

Justine

Strength

Justine (ジュスティーヌ) is one of the twin wardens of the Velvet Room created within the heart of Akira; and, like her sister, she is one-half of a fragmented Lavenza. Justine is much quieter than her sister is, and is more skeptical about her role in the world and whether what she and her sister are doing is the right thing. While Caroline and Justine are capable of entering Vestige separately, they can not enter as Lavenza; doing so separates them until they can be re-fused within the Velvet Room.

Justine, like her sister, is a Persona user, and can summon Parvati in battle; a reference to how Parvati can fuse with Shiva (whom Caroline wields) to form Ardha (which both twins wield in their battle in Persona 5). Parvati uses a variety of Psi-based skills, which Justine uses in a more defensive style than Caroline does.

Yuuki Mishima

Moon

Yuuki Mishima (三島 由輝) is an avid supporter of the Phantom Thieves; he knows that Akira is their leader, but not who any of the members are. He runs the Phan-Site about them, often updating it with polls to gauge interest in the group; and it is through this website that the Phantom Thieves received requests to complete within Mementos. Though the Phantom Thieves had ceased activity, Yuuki remains a fan of the group, and has begun producing a documentary on their ventures.

While Yuuki Mishima does not initially have the power to summon a Persona, he later gains the ability to after being dragged into Vestige alongside Sojiro Sakura and Sae Niijima. Unlike the Phantom Thieves he idolizes, Mishima does not summon his Persona - who is loosely based on and named for Spartacus - by taking off a mask, but rather, in a manner similar to the Investigation Team, by destroying a card. Mishima's Persona specializes in both physical and Bless skills, though the former are primarily used in battle. Yuuki also wields a volleyball in battle, which allows him to perform a variety of attacks from a distance.

Sojiro Sakura

Hierophant

Sojiro Sakura (佐倉 惣治郎) is the owner of Cafe Leblanc. After the death of her mother, Sojiro adopted Futaba Sakura but, though he cared about her very much, he didn't know how he could help her. He also previously took in Akira Kurusu while he attended Shujin Academy. Though he wasn't directly involved with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts throughout most of their run, he did later assist them after learning that the two teenagers he had in his care were members.

Sojiro was initially unable to summon a Persona, but would gain this ability after being dragged into Vestige alongside Yuuki Mishima and Sae Niijima. His Persona is Fufluns, based on and named for the Etruscan god of growth. Fufluns has a variety of Fire and Wind skills at his disposal, and uses his plant-like body and control over flora to attack foes physically from afar. Sojiro himself however is quite weak, wielding a polearm that also lets him fight from a distance, though his attacks are slower and harder to combo together successfully.

Sae Niijima

Judgement

Sae Niijima (新島 冴) is a lawyer who, at first, worked to incarcerate the Phantom Thieves (even being the one to interrogate their leader after his capture) before joining with them after learning about their goals. Before the destruction of Mementos, Sae acted as a prosecutor, and was tasked with proving Joker guilty; though after Mementos was destroyed, she decided to become a defence attorney instead.

Unlike her sister, Sae Niijima did not initially have the power to summon a Persona, though would later gain this ability after being dragged into Vestige alongside Sojiro Sakura and Yuuki Mishima. Her Persona is Themis, inspired by the Greek Titaness said to be the personification of justice and law itself. Themis is a user of Bless skills in battle, and relies most on a pistol (and, as such, Gun skills).

Yu Narukami

Fool

Yosuke Hanamura

Magician

Chie Satonaka

Chariot

Yukiko Amagi

Priestess

Yukiko Amagi (天城 雪子) is an elegant alumni of Yasogami High School, and a member of the Investigation Team based in the small town of Inaba. Yukiko has inherited her parents' inn, and her contributions to it have made it famous nation-wide. Though she does enjoy working at her inn, she still has a longing to leave Inaba, especially to visit the other members of the Investigation Team who have since left it.

Like the other members of the Investigation Team, Yukiko summons her Persona by destroying a card; the Persona she summons is Konohana Sakuya. Konohana Sakuya is capable of using a variety of fire-based skills, including the entire line of "Agi" skills. Yukiko ha a very defensive playstyle, as she uses skills to buff herself and attack her opponent from a distance.

Teddie

Star

Kanji Tatsumi

Emperor

Kanji Tatsumi (巽 完二) is the eldest son of the Tatsumi family, which has owned a textile shop in Inaba for generations. Though, as a teenager, Kanji looked like a thug, he was incredibly invested in textiles and sewing; after graduating from Yasogami High, Kanji took over his family's shop. Still, wanting to bring the joy of textiles to others, Kanji began to make puppets and has become quite famous for his skills; Kanji has even gotten commissions for puppets and costumes from overseas companies. Though he has grown, Kanji still remains somewhat oblivious and still has some of his violent tendencies from his teenage years.

Just as in Persona 4 Arena, Kanji's Persona is Take-Mikazuchi. Kanji is a heavy-hitting character and has the most amount of health out of all playable characters; though his movements are slower and both he and his Persona have large hitboxes that make them easy targets. Take-Mikazuchi is capable of using the different 'Zio' skills in battle, which are extremely powerful and have good range if they manage to be cast.

Naoto Shirogane

Fortune

Rise Kujikawa

Lovers

Tohru Adachi

Hunger

Nanako Dojima

Justice

Labrys

Fortune

Aigis

Fool

Mitsuru Kirijo

Empress

Mitsuru Kirijo (桐条 美鶴) is the leader of SEES (also known as the Shadow Operatives); initially an extracurricular group dedicated to learning about the Dark Hour and Tartarus, now it is a national group dedicated to learning about Personas and Shadows. Kirijo is the daughter of Takeharu Kirijo and the current leader of the Kirijo Group. She orders Yu Narukami and his group of Persona users to investigate the second case of mental shutdowns, and eventually shows up in Vestige alongside Aigis, Labrys, and Akihiko to aid in their investigation.

Mitsuru Kirijo fights with a rapier in battle. Her Persona, which she summons by shooting herself with an Evoker pistol, is her ultimate Persona Artemisia. Artemisia uses the ice-based Bufu skills in battle to freeze her foes. Her insta-kill attack is Niflheim.

Akihiko Sanada

Emperor

Elizabeth

Fool

DLC Characters

These characters were release post launch as paid downloadable content. They do not appear in the story, and their appearances are considered non-canon. In an interview with the game's director, it was revealed that since Vestige exists in a realm separate from dream and reality and can be influenced by human cognition in a manner similar to Mementos could, these characters are simply cognizant counterparts that can solely exist within this world; and were created from the memories of those within it.

Character

Arcana

Description

Lavenza

The World

Lavenza (ラヴェンツァ) is the true attendant of Akira Kurusu's Velvet Room, who took the form of the twins Caroline and Justine after being separated by Yaldabaoth. Her personality combines the primary traits of both Caroline and Justine; while often more serious in a manner similar to Justine, she is certainly capable of being very emotive at times. She plays similarly to Margaret does in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and similarly wields Le Grimoire (albeit one of a comically-large size) in battle. Lavenza was the first character released as downloadable content.

As Caroline and Justine, she is capable of wielding Shiva and Parvati in battle; as Lavenza, these two Personae fuse to create Ardha. Ardha has a variety of both Psi and Electric skills at her command, though what sets her apart from her two halves is the addition of several Nuclear skills; primarily shown with her insta-kill, Cosmic Flare.

Goro Akechi

Justice

Goro Akechi (明智 吾郎), also known as the "Second Advent of the Detective Prince", is an ace detective and the illegitimate son of Masayoshi Shido, a former cabinet member and prime minister candidate. He worked alongside Sae Niijima and the Special Investigations Unit during the initial mental shutdown incident, trying to learn the identities of the Phantom Thieves that had taken the blame. In actuality, he was the one causing the mental shutdowns.

Much like several other characters, Goro Akechi is a Wild Card, meaning he is capable of using a multitude of different Persona. Unlike other Wild Cards, Akechi's hatred towards his father corrupted his heart, and thus he is only capable of summoning Persona of the Justice Arcana- namely Robin Hood and Loki. Akechi is also unique in that he has two vastly different gameplay styles, which the player can switch between by performing a down-down-light attack combination.

Akechi's first moveset has him play as a ranged fighter, using a pistol to take shots at his opponent from afar, and using Robin Hood to deal out a number of different Bless and Curse skills; this moveset is based upon his time as an honorary Phantom Thief. His second moveset makes him more dangerous, as, in addition to using Loki (who, in addition to having several 'Bufu' and Curse skills, can also heavily increase Akechi's attack power with his ability to cause others to go mad) and a gun, he also wields a knife and his attacks become more chaotic, reflecting his nature as the "traitor" of the Phantom Thieves. In both movesets, Akechi has a variety of projectile attacks, though his more chaotic moveset also includes a variety of self-defence techniques that he has modified to be used in an offensive way.

Non-Playable Characters

Character

Arcana

Description

Igor

Fool

Trivia

The Japanese version of Persona 5 Arena was originally to be known as "Persona 5: Ultimate in the Chaotic Distortion".

The Japanese version of the game once again uses archived audio of Isamu Tanonaka for the voice of Igor. As such, he has very few voiced lines in the game. In English, he is voiced by Kirk Thornton, just as he was in Persona 5, and also has more voice clips in this version, also providing narration for some options in the menus.